THE WHIPPING MAN Comes to the Fells Point Corner Theater

The Fells Point Corner Theater presents The Whipping Man, written by Matthew Lopez, October 14- 30th. The well-known Baltimore director, Barry Feinstein, leads the production, which tells the story of three Richmond Jews-a former Confederate soldier and two of his former slaves. The men are gathered around a makeshift Seder table at the close of the Civil War dealing with age-old questions of justice and freedom and finding new and surprising answers.

The play opened in New York in 2006 and was acclaimed by the theater critics: "Haunting, striking, and powerful," said The New York Times. The production stars Percy Thomas, Michael Joseph Dolan and Ian Smith in a show that has earned rave reviews in over 40 cities since its New York opening. Performances at 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays and 2 pm on Sundays. Tickets are $15-$20 and can be purchased at www.fpct.org. The theater is at 251 S. Ann Street, Baltimore. Further information at 410-404-1243.

Its 1865, the south has lost the war, Richmond is in ruins and the slaves have been freed. Three men, one white and two black, all Jewish, wait for signs of life to return to the city. They wrestle with their shared past, the bitter irony of Jewish slave-owning and the reality of the new world in which they find themselves. The pain of their enslavement will not be soothed by Passover traditions, and deep-buried secrets from the past refuse to be hidden as the play comes to its shocking climax. The Whipping Man is a play about redemption and forgiveness, about the lasting scars of slavery, and the responsibility that comes with freedom.

The play draws parallels between the ongoing struggles for freedom by Jews and African Americans. About 150,000 Jews lived in the United States at the time of the American Civil War, 50,000 lived in the South. Many owned slaves and their slaves took their Jewish religion just as slaves owned by Christians took their owner's religion.

A longtime fixture in Baltimore theater, Feinstein has directed for the Baltimore Playwrights Festival (BPF) every year but one since its inception in 1982, when he won the best play award. The founder of the Theatrical Mining Company (TMC), Feinstein favors plays that make a strong statement about the human condition and embrace controversial subjects. "We believe the purpose of theater is to inspire an audience to think and discuss the subject matter presented on stage," he said. "Matthew Lopez's play certainly fits that bill."

The playwright, Matthew Lopez is a self-described "foxhole Episcopalian" from the Florida Panhandle, the son of a Puerto Rican father and a Polish-Russian mother. The Whipping Man, his first play in 2006, was inspired by his parents, both teachers, and his younger brother who "were a bunch of Civil War buffs." As a gay man, bullied as a child and closeted until college, Lopez is familiar with the pain of being an outsider. Yet, he sees himself, in his character, Simon, as having an unbending sense of hope. His subsequent plays include The Sentinels,Somewhere, Reverberations and his latest, The Legend of Georgia McBride. Lopez was a staff writer on HBO's "The Newsroom" and is adapting Javier Marias' trilogy "Your Face Tomorrow" for the screen.

The actors who will portray the characters in The Whipping Man bring a wealth of experience to the stage. Percy W. Thomas, who portrays the old slave Simon, began his acting career at the Arena Playhouse in Baltimore. Later, while studying at the Mafundi Institute under the tutelage of Roger E. Mosley, Thomas landed a part in the film "The River Nigger" directed by Krishna Shah and starring James Earl Jones. Thomas also has several industrial films among his credits.

Michael Joseph Donlan, as Kaleb (the white officer) is appearing for the second time in a Barry Feinstein production at Fells Point Corner Theatre. Last spring he performed in "Time Stands Still", by Donald Margulies. Michael began his acting career in the A.F.A. Program at Penn State University. He graduated in Theatre from U.M.B.C.; received his MFA in Theatre from the University of South Carolina. Donlan appeared in several plays at The Folger in D.C., acted in regional productions from Maine to South Carolina and played in an off- Broadway production of "Triolus and Cressida" before returning to Baltimore.

Ian Smith plays the young black slave John. "I enjoy being someone else for a short period of time. It gives my real self short vacations,"said Smith. He has performed in several plays and a reading of "Shadows of Men" coordinated Feinstein. Film credits include the independent film, "Charm City" by DerRick Thomas as well as national cable programs "Nightmare Next Door" and Evil Kin". Ian graduated from Central Connecticut University with a B.A. in Marketing Public Relations.

Fells Point Corner Theatre was born from the merging of two community theaters in the greater Fells Point area-the Fells Point Theatre and the Corner Theatre creating Fells Point Corner Theatre. This also explains why the theatre is not actually on a corner. The first season opened in 1987 with the production, "Fool for Love" by Sam Shepard. Now in its 27th season, Fells Point Corner Theatre is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization flourishing through the hard work and dedication of volunteers, and the generous support of many donors.

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